The Nanny(1965). Suspense film directed by Seth Holt. Cast: Bette Davis as a devoted nanny caring for a ten-year-old boy recently discharged from a home for disturbed children. It is based on the novel of the same name by Evelyn Piper (a pseudonym for Merriam Modell), and the film was scored by Richard Rodney Bennett.
The viewer feels the tension right from the very beginning. Nanny has always taken care of Virgie Fane and is now the nanny for her two children. After two years, Joey is now coming home, after being placed in a home for disturbed children. Everyone believes that he was responsible in the drowning of his younger sister, although, he puts the blame on, nanny.. Both of his parents Virgie and Bill, are worried about Joey's behavior when returns home. Joey refuses to have anything to do with Nanny, but no one believes his story except, maybe the girl upstairs. The father, is called away on business and the mother ends up in the hospital after being food poisoned. Aunt Pen, comes to take care of Joey and she begins to believe Joey is telling the truth, when she sees Nanny, standing outside his bedroom door with a pillow. Joey, is so disrespectful that you believe that he is capable of murder and it makes you wonder, did he or didn't he?
Fun Facts:
The role of the Nanny was originally intended for Greer Garson who first accepted then declined, saying the script would not be good for her career.
Mr. Skeffington (1944). Directed by Vincent Sherman, based on the novel of the same name by Elizabeth von Arnim. Cast: Bette Davis and Claude Rains.
When Fanny learns that her brother Trippy, has embezzled money from Jewish stockbroker Job Skeffington, she would do anything to save him, including marry his boss. Disgusted by the arrangement, in part because of his prejudice against Skeffington being a Jew, Trippy leaves to fight in the Lafayette Escadrille in World War I.
Job loves Fanny, but.. she does not return his feelings and mostly ignores him. She becomes pregnant with his child, but, after she learns of Trippy death, she blames him and leaves his bed. She enjoys playing the wealthy socialite, with a long line of much younger lovers.
Lonely, Job has his own affairs, when Fanny finds out, she divorces him. Her daughter, also named Fanny, wants to be with her father and begs him to take her with him to Europe. Fanny is relieved to be free of her child and does not see her for many years.
Even though Fanny lives a fast party girl life, she keeps her beauty until she catches diphtheria, it takes over health and her appearance. In denial, she invites her old lovers (and their wives) to a party. Everyone is shocked by how much Fanny has changed. To make things more complected, her latest suitor Johnny Mitchell, falls in love and marries her daughter, who has returned from Europe because of the rise of the Nazis. Now, Fanny is left very much alone.
Fanny's cousin George Trellis, brings Job back to Fanny's home, unannounced. The Nazis have left Job penniless and blind, George tells Fanny and he asks her if she will help Job, as he has nowhere else to go..
When she enters the parlor, Fanny, sobbing, takes his arm and guides him up the staircase, she tells the maid that "Mr. Skeffington has come home." Job had once, long ago, told Fanny that, "A woman is beautiful when she's loved, and only then." George tells Fanny that, at that moment, she has never been more beautiful.
I thought Claude Rains was wonderful as the patient Job Skeffington. Bette Davis, seems to really take her part as Fanny very seriously. Even though this may not be one of the best movies of Bette Davis career, it is one of my favorite movies.
The Catered Affair (1956). Directed by Richard Brooks and produced by Sam Zimbalist from a screenplay by Gore Vidal, based on a television play by Paddy Chayefsky. The film score was by Andre Previn and the cinematography by John Alton. Cast: Bette Davis, Ernest Borgnine, Debbie Reynolds, Barry Fitzgerald, Ray Stricklyn ,and Rod Taylor.
As Tom Hurley gets off work, his friend, Sam Leiter, tells him the cab they have been wanting to buy is available. Thrilled about owning his own cab, Tom goes home to share the news with his family. His Daughter Jane says that her fiance, Ralph Halloran, has been asked to drive a car to California and they want to get married, so she can go with him. His wife Aggie wants to give her daughter a big wedding, but Jane insists that there be "no wedding reception, no nothin'," just immediate family.
While Ralph's parents are visiting, Uncle Jack stumbles in drunk. Embarrassed by Jack's behavior and ashamed of her family's financial situation, Aggie insists that Jane have a large wedding, even though,they can not afford it. Aggie has such deep regrets about her own wedding, that Jane can not say no to her mother gives into having a catered affair.
While making plans with the caterer at the Hotel Concourse Plaza, Tom can not believe the cost of the food, flowers and limousines. To make matters worse, Jane learns that Ralph's mother has invited twice as many people as she first planned.
When Sam comes over to discuss the cab partnership, Jane hears her father say, that he will be not be able to go ahead with their plans. Aggie and Tom, get into a heated argument, Jane so upset says that she is calling off the wedding. Aggie breaks down into tears. Tom tells Aggie that she should have been more sympathetic to him. Feeling sorry for himself he gets drunk and falls asleep. On the morning of the wedding, when he finally wakes up, she admits that she was wrong. The important thing, is that they witness their daughter's marriage together. This film was Bette Davis favorite film. She called her performance "my proudest effort". I agree that "A Catered Affair" is one of the very best films Bette Davis has ever performed in.
Ernest Borgnine (born January 24, 1917). His career has spanned more than six decades. He was an unconventional lead in many films of the 1950s, including his Academy Award-winning film, Marty(1955). On television, he is best known for playing Quinton McHale in the 1962-66 series McHale's Navy, costarring in the mid-1980s action series Airwolf, and voicing the character Mermaid Man in the animated series, SpongeBob SquarePants. Borgnine earned an Emmy nomination at age 92 for his work on the series ER. In August 2009 he earned the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Rhode Island International Film Festival.
Bette Davis, wanted to become an actress after seeing Rudolph Valentino in, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921) and Mary Pickford in, Little Lord Fauntleroy (1921. She attended Cushing Academy, a boarding school in Ashburnham, Massachusetts, where she met her future husband, Harmon O. Nelson. She saw a production of Henrik Ibsen's, The Wild Duck with Blanche Yurka and Peg Entwistle. Davis later said" I had to be an actress, exactly like Peg Entwistle". She auditioned for, Eva LeGallienne's Manhattan Civic Repertory, but was rejected by LeGallienne who described her attitude as "insincere" and "frivolous". She was then accepted by the John Murray Anderson School of Theatre, and studied dance with Martha Graham.
She then auditioned for George Cukor's stock theater company, who gave Davis her first paid acting job. After playing the part of a chorus girl. She was later chosen to play Hedwig, the character she had seen Entwistle play, in The Wild Duck. After performing in Philadelphia, Washington and Boston, she made her Broadway debut in 1929 in, Broken Dishes, and followed by, Solid South. A Universal Studios talent scout saw her perform and invited her to Hollywood for a screen test which launched her movie career. The movies listed below is a TCM Bette Davis tribute:
All This, and Heaven Too (1940) A French nobleman falls in love with his children's governess. Cast: Bette Davis, Charles Boyer, Barbara O'Neil. Dir: Anatole Litvak.
Shining Victory (1941) A psychiatrist sacrifices everything for his research. Cast: James Stephenson, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Donald Crisp. Dir: Irving Rapper.
In This Our Life (1942) A neurotic southerner steals her sister's husband then vies with her for another man. Cast: Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, George Brent. Dir: John Huston.
Old Acquaintance (1943) Two writers, friends since childhood, fight over their books and lives. Cast: Bette Davis, Miriam Hopkins, Gig Young. Dir: Vincent Sherman.
Winter Meeting (1948) A repressed poetess and an embittered war hero help each other cope with their problems. Cast: Bette Davis, Jim Davis, Janis Paige. Dir: Bretaigne Windust.
Catered Affair, The (1956) A working-class mother fights to give her daughter a big wedding whether the girl wants it or not. Cast: Bette Davis, Ernest Borgnine, Debbie Reynolds. Dir: Richard Brooks.
Scapegoat, The (1959) A man is tricked into trading places with a look-alike nobleman with murderous plans. Cast: Alec Guinness, Bette Davis, Irene Worth. Dir: Robert Hamer.
Bette Davis: The Benevolent Volcano (1984) A documentary depicting the life and career of one of America's premiere actresses. Dir: George Marshall.
--------------------------------------------------------------------- My Bette Davis Halloween movie pick: Scapegoat (1959). Cast: Alec Guinness, Bette Davis, Nicole Maurey and Irene Worth.
When John Barratt, a lonely french teacher is vacationing in France, he accidentally meets his double, French nobleman Jacques De Gue. After John becomes drunk he accepts De Gue's invitation to share a hotel room. When John wakes up the next morning, he finds his passport missing. De Gue's chauffeur Gaston shows up to take him home, John is unable to convince him that he is not the nobleman. Gaston calls Dr. Aloin, who diagnoses the Englishman as suffering from schizophrenia.
John is taken to De Gue's chateau, where he meets "his" daughter Marie-Noel, wife Francoise, sister Blanche and "his" mother, the Countess. None of them believe his story. As time goes on, he feels as something missing in his life.
Later, in the nearby town, John is nearly run down by De Gue's mistress, Bela, on her horse. He spends the afternoon getting to know her. The next time they meet and before he can tell her the truth, she says that she already knew the truth.
John takes over the family glass-making business. He renews a unfavourable contract, to avoid putting longtime employees out of work. The Countess becomes very upset with his decision. Later, John learns that Francoise's wealth would come under his control if she were to die. Francoise finds him reading the contract and accuses him of wanting to see her dead. John tells her that the contract can be changed. Now, He begins to know the reason for De Gue's disappearance.
After spending the afternoon with Bela, John returns home, where he learns that Francoise has died from a fall. Blanche accuses John of murder, saying that she overheard him with his wife in her room just before her death. Gaston provides an alibi, having driven John to Bela's home. Will De Gue ever show up to reclaim is identity and will John allow him to?
I thought this was a very interesting murder mystery, with a wonderful supporting cast.
Deception (1946). Directed Irving Rapper. The film is based on the play Monsieur Lamberthier by Louis Verneuil. The screenplay was written by John Collier and Joseph Than. Cast: Bette Davis, Paul Henreid and Claude Rains who had also performed together in, Now, Voyager (1942).
After a long separation, pianist Christine Radcliffe is reunited in New York with her fiancee, cellist Karel Novak. When Karel wants to know how Christine can afford such a beautiful apartment and clothes, Christine says that she is giving music lessons. Soon Christine receives a call from composer Alexander Hollenius, whose mistress she has been, and informs him of her up coming marriage. Hollenius arrives at a party celebrating the marriage and tells Karel that he believes the marriage will interfere with Christine's music. The following day, Christine visits Hollenius and begs him not to reveal their relationship. Later, Karel visits Hollenius, to his surprise, he finds Hollenius listening to a recording that Karel made. Hollenius is impressed by Karel's talent and offers him a cello concerto that he has just written. When Christine hears Karel practicing Hollenius' concerto, she becomes convinced that Hollenius intends to use the concerto to destroy Karel. When Christine shares her fears to Karel, he demands to know why she is afraid that Hollenius will take the concerto away from him, but Christine still refuses to tell her husband the truth. The next day, Christine returns to Hollenius' apartment to beg him not to take out his anger on Karel, he tells her that his first duty is to his music and that he is sure Karel will perform well. As she leaves the apartment, Christine sees Bertram Gribble, the orchestra's first cellist, waiting in the foyer and is sure that Hollenius intends to replace Karel with Gribble. On the night of the performance, after Karel has left for the concert hall, Christine again visits Hollenius and begs him to promise that he will not tell Karel of their relationship and again when Hollenius refuses, what will Christine do to keep her secret?
If you're in the mood Bette Davis-Claude Rains melodrama, you have to add this film to your "gotta see" list. Rains has some of the cruelest and wittiest lines in this film. Bette matches him with her display of emotions.
Paul Henreid, performed in his two most important films. In Now, Voyager(1942) and Casablanca(1942). He made regular film performances in the 1940s, and in the early 1950s began directing for both film and television. His film credits include The Spanish Main (1945), Of Human Bondage (1946), Song of Love (1947), Thief of Damascus (1952), Siren of Bagdad (1953), and Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1961). His television directorial credits include Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Maverick, Bonanza and The Big Valley. In 1964, Henreid directed Dead Ringer, which starred Bette Davis and featured, in a minor role, the director's daughter, Monika.
